A Memory in Negatives
by Altonahk
Summary: A/U After Ichigo defeats Aizen and loses his Shinigami powers, his Hollow decides he'd rather stick around. Now Karin must take on her brothers mantel and Hitsugaya has finally matured and completed his Bankai; will this be enough for them to survive what's to come? Rated M for Language, Violence, and Gore. - Please read & review!
1. 1 A loss, a fix, and a decision

**I Don't own Bleach or it's character's, Kubo does.**

**If I get some reviews out of this I might actually continue.**

**I came up with this idea when we found out the consequence of the Final Getsuga Tenshou, but before we saw it play out. The way I saw it, there were two ways it could go: 1) Ichigo would lose his Hollow with his Shinigami powers, and 2) Ichigo would lose his Shinigami powers leaving only his Hollow. Kubo went with #1. This is a "what if" A/U where I go with #2.**

**Rated M for violence and language, and maybe other adult content, depending on how the story goes.**

**Note: I try not to go against Manga canon. As for Anime filler, I will pick and choose at my own discretion.**

######

Ichigo shook his head. He was really getting tired of this. Aizen had just gone through _another_ transformation; but this time a Hollow–like visage literally ripped itself out of his face. It was like his true self was coming out. Six wings, mounted with hollow heads and with an eye in the heart of the wings membrane, sprouted from his back. His face, hands, and feet were black, while the rest of his body was white.

Aizen, convinced that he was the greatest, threw several attacks at Ichigo, starting with a ball of energy from the mouth of one of the heads on his wings. It had burned most of the skin of his forearm, blocking that. The next was a physical attack followed by the most bizarrely constructed attack he had ever heard of. Rings of Reiryoku, which seemed to be trying to restrict his movements, surrounded him, while Aizen held his neck.

Pathetic.

"Is that it?" Ichigo asked, shattering the bizarre, Reiryoku rings. Aizen pulled back, staring in apparent shock.

"Let's end this, Aizen. I'm sick and tired of your logic." Ichigo said, wearily. "Let me show you the Final Getsuga Tenshou."

Ichigo pulled Reiryoku from deep within his soul, massing it all into circulation, and finishing his merge with Tensa Zangetsu. Blackness covered everything around him.

"Wha… What is that form?" Aizen asked, sounding shocked.

"This form is when I become Getsuga Tenshou." Ichigo said, cloaked in his own black Reiryoku. His hair had grown out and turned black, his eyes turned red, much of his body was wrapped in dark grey bandages, and his left arm was covered in twisting tattoos.

His rite arm was radiating Black Reiryoku, flickering like flame.

"If I use this technique, I will lose my Shinigami powers. That's why it's called 'Final'."

Aizen stared at him without expression, like he was stunned or deep in thought. Suddenly is expression twisted into rage and he began to scream at Ichigo. "Impossible! How can such a thing… How can a mere human surpass _me_? It's…"

Ichigo razed his arm, channeling the raging energy into a black blade of Reiryoku forming in his right hand. "Mugetsu!"

And the world turned black.

######

Urahara stared at the immense wave of black energy. It was truly terrifying. That boy who had been running from him with the broken handle of a Zanpakutou less then one year ago had just released an attack so powerful he couldn't even read it.

The blackness began to fade away, revealing Ichigo, falling to a soft landing, the bandages wrapped around his face breaking away. Aizen landed not far from him, much of the transformation undone. He no longer had any wings, and his face was back to normal, save for the "teeth" on the right side of his face.

"Still regenerating?" Ichigo said, which Urahara knew because he was reading Ichigo's lips.

Suddenly the remainder of his Final Getsuga Form shattered off Ichigo, leaving him in nothing but a tattered, black Hakama, and he fell to his knees. _Ah, his Shinigami powers are fading._

Aizen stood and began to gloat over Ichigo. It really was pathetic. Aizen's self confidence had been so trampled that he felt the need to prove himself. He was pointing out the fact that his Zanpakutou was crumbling; claiming that the Hogyoku had decided the weapon was unneeded.

Idiot.

A spike of light suddenly drove through Aizen's chest. Then two more followed.

"What's this? Kido?" Aizen asked, shocked. "When did he…?"

"So it finally activated." Urahara said, finally making his presence known.

"Urahara Kisuke" Aizen growled, turning and seeing him there for the first time. "This is your doing?"

"Yes." Urahara said, unapologetically. "That Kido was hidden within another Kido that I used on you shortly before you achieved a full transformation, when your guard was lowest."

"Back then?"

"That is the seal." Urahara said, feeling almost bored. "Predicting that killing you would be impossible after you fused with the Hogyoku, I developed a new Kidou to seal you"

"I see." Aizen said, darkly. "Well that is rather unfortunate for you." He smiled, and then began to shout. "Look, I am about to achieve another level of evolution. Do you actually believe a Kidou of this level will seal me?"

Suddenly a mass of light-spikes pierced his torso and the white coating on his skin shattered, flaking away. Aizen looked absolutely astounded.

"What? What is this!" Aizen screamed, gazing at his hands in shock. "My power. All the power I've gathered. It's disappearing!"

"That is the will of the Hogyoku." Urahara said. "The reason the seal I put on you hours ago finally activated is because your power has weakened. Basically, the Hogyoku no longer sees you as its master."

"Impossible!" Aizen screamed again. "How can that… How can that be?" Suddenly the spikes erupted and sprouted from his back, each one forming a crossbeam to prevent their removal, it made him look like someone had stabbed him with a bunch of crucifixes. "Urahara Kisuke!" Aizen screamed, bent over in pain. "I hate you! Why does a man of your intellect do _nothing_? Why? Why do you allow _it_ to control you?" He was trying to ignore the light that was flowing over him, turning into a solid white substance. Incasing him.

"It?" Urahara repeated, surprised. "You mean the Spirit-King?" _He knows more then I thought._ "So, you've seen…"

Aizen just glared at him, as the seal grew larger, the light reaching his chest and several of the "crosses" in his back joining into thicker versions.

"Without the existence of the Spirit –King the Soul Society would fall apart. The Spirit-King is the cornerstone. Without the cornerstone, everything will collapse." Urahara said, calmly. "That's just the way the world is."

Aizen straitened, trying to fight off the Kidou, and glared at Urahara, one of his eyes' sclera was still dark violet while the other was normal. "That is the logic of a Loser! One who seeks victory must think not off how the world is, bur rather how the world should be!" He screamed, the Kido rising to take him over. "_I…_!" With a rush, the light of the kidou spread over his body, and compressed, leaving three intersecting rods.

_Well that's done with._ He thought, turning to Isshin's son. Ichigo's Hakama began to shred, falling and blowing away in the wind, leaving him wearing nothing but a fundoshi loincloth and the tattered remains of a shitagi, hanging around his hips like a kilt. "Well done, Kurosaki."

Ichigo looked up at him with tired eyes. "Whatever…" Suddenly he started coughing, leaning over with on hand on his knee, and splattering his other hand with blood. He began to wheeze, making a rasping noise in the back of his throat.

"This doesn't look good." Urahara said aloud, pulling out the small, glass bottle with a dropper as the lid. "I was hopping I wouldn't have to use this."

Ichigo suddenly began to scream; or, rather, roar. His body began to fade, until he suddenly disappeared. Urahara closed his eyes, searching for the place Ichigo would reform.

Suddenly, he turned to his left just in time to see a white form appear from nowhere. It had clawed hands and feet, a hole through its chest, and a long, lizard like tail. A mask quickly covered Ichigo's face, horns protruding forward. Its Reiatsu was as high as a Gillian, even though it didn't have his Shinigami side to boost it.

Shaking his head, Urahara Shunpoed over to it, pulled out the dropper, and, before the Hollow that had been Ichigo could respond, splashed the fluid in it's eyes.

Howling, the Hollow flung itself away from Urahara, clawing at it's mask and swiping it's tale around and around in rage. It raised its head and gave a roar so powerful, several nearby boulders shattered. Then it turned, ripped open Garganta, and rushed through.

_This is going to be troublesome._

**Five years later**

Hitsugaya Toshirou, Taichou of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13, stood on an endless plain of Ice, staring at the immense ice-dragon before him. Hyourinmaru was a truly impressive site. He was a giant dragon of ice, with blood red eyes, and a serpentine form almost a mile long.

Hitsugaya raised his hand, and Hyourinmaru shattered.

He had done it. He had finally won after years of repeating this same battle. It took a ridiculous degree of Reiatsu control to defeat Hyourinmaru.

Suddenly the Zanpakutou spirit was back, this time in the form of a tall man with wings if ice, clawed hands and feet, and a long tail. It was similar to how Toshirou looked at the moment, as he was using Bankai; but Toshirou's was far rougher. His was made of jagged shards of ice, while Hyourinmaru's ice was actually formed into feathers, scales, and claws.

"Well done Toshirou. Took you long enough." Hyourinmaru said, without any obvious emotion.

"Whatever. Good bye." Hitsugaya said, dropping out of Jinzen.

He opened his eyes and paused. His Bankai was wrong. He had never noticed before. He always had a hard time performing Tensou Juurin (controlling the water in the air around him) with any subtlety while in Bankai. He had finally, just now, been able to overcome that and mastered its use. Which promptly told him that his Bankai was wrong, and the wrongness of his Bankai was the reason he always had such a hard time. _I feel like such an idiot. _Hitsugaya shrugged, and released his Bankai. In order to get it right, he had to start from the beginning.

Resting he looked down into the pit he was next to. The Adjuchas inside was a truly terrifying creature. Its power was equal to a weaker Vasto Lorde. It was formed like a huge satyr, with animal like legs ending in split hooves for feet. It had huge claws and forward curving horns.

Some of the others still called it Ichigo, but not Hitsugaya. This was a Hollow. Worse, it was an Adjuchas, the second level of the Menos Grande. Ichigo was long gone, and, despite Urahara's theories, that wasn't likely to change. Hitsugaya shook his head as the Adjuchas tore into another one of its kind, consuming it in its fear of regression and lust for evolution.

Turning away, Hitsugaya spiked his Reiatsu, using his new understanding in how he circulated it, and mentally released the floodgate.

"Bankai!"

The ground shuddered, a sudden wind built up blowing his hair and Haori around him, the air around him began to fluoresce in a silver glow, and mist rose with an explosive impact.

"Daiguren Hyourinmaru."

When the mist he was standing in cleared he bore wings of ice, but instead of the rough shards of ice, it was made of ice feathers, detailed down to the individual fibers. His left hand and both feet were covered in smooth ice talons, slimmer and more usable then they had been, and the tail was slimmer, more like a whip. He looked like Hyourinmaru. He felt so felt _good._

Hitsugaya looked up and smiled, there weren't any flowers floating above his Bankai. There was no longer a time limit.

He felt _very_ good.

######

Karin dribbled the ball as she made her way down the sidewalk. She had just gotten done with soccer practice. Seeing the little shop ahead she knocked the ball upward and caught it.

Adjusting the strap of the sports bag over her shoulder, she opened the door, entered the shop, and froze. She had been about to shout that she was here, except her sister was right there, with her back pushed up to a wall, kissing Jinta.

She was pretty sure they were using tongue.

Karin dropped her soccer ball and kicked it at the red head, the two of the jumping in response.

"Jinta, you bit my tongue." Yuzu whined.

"Uhg, way too much information." Karin said, collecting her ball.

"Sorry Yuzu." Jinta said, blushing and glairing at Karin.

"Well, hurry up. I want to get back home." Karin said, ignoring Jinta.

"Okay, just let me clock out and get my bag." Yuzu said, rushing into the back of the shop. Jinta glared at Karin for a few more seconds, but when it became clear that she wasn't going to look away, he followed Yuzu.

"Why, hello there~" Urahara said in a singsong voice. He was wearing a pair of green trousers and gi, a black haori, and a pair of wooden geta. His sandy hair and the brim of his green and white bucket hat shadowed his eyes.

"Hello, Urahara." Karin said, wearily.

"How are you this fine evening?" He asked, sitting down and giving his fake smile.

"Fine, I guess."

"And have you made your decision?" His eyes suddenly became extremely intense, sending a shiver down Karin's spine.

"N-no, not yet." Karin stuttered, filling even more nervous.

"Tell me when you do~" He said, his fake smile back. "Any thing I can get for you in the meantime?"

Karin thought about it for a second. "Well, I used that last Zeta whatever last week."

"Oh, yes. _For sudden retreat when your attacked by a hollow, Electric Capture Ball: __**Zetavol-tan**__!_" He pronounced, like he was on the worlds lamest commercial, and posing to increase the humiliating effect.

"Yeah, that."

Urahara went into the back room to get the prodoct and Yuzu and Jinta came out. "Ready!"

"Just a moment, I'm getting something." Karin said.

"Hoooo… You have a sweet tooth?"

"One of the special products, Yuzu." Karin sighed.

Before Yuzu could say anything, Urahara came back, tossed the colorful box into a bag and handed it to Karin, waving her off when she reached for her wallet.

"Must we do this every time? No charge for a Kurosaki!"

"Thanks." she said.

"Why don't I get anything for free?" Jinta asked, scowling.

"But you do! You get room and bored for free~." Urahara said, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Oh, right." Jinta said, face going pale.

"Come on Yuzu." Karin said.

Yuzu stood on her tiptoes and gave Jinta another kiss before following Karin, her face scarlet.

When they made it to the sidewalk Karin couldn't hold it in anymore. Smirking, she turned to her sister. "So _he's_ why you got a job there."

"N-no." Yuzu said, blushing. "He didn't confess to me until I had been working there for a few weeks."

"Oh, so your saying you weren't interested before that?"

"Karin!" She whined.

"Okay, okay. So, what do you see in that bozo anyways?"

"He kinda reminds me of Ichigo, Ya know? He has this whole tough guy act, and can act pretty dumb too, but he's really a great guy. He's very protective of people he cares about, and he's funny."

"More like an annoying jerk." Karin said, annoyed just thinking of the redhead. They turned to walk through a park.

"Come on. Give him a chance, Kar…" Yuzu began, before being interrupted by a howling roar.

A Hollow's roar.

Karin sopped, staring at the huge, red furred hollow charging towards them. It was like center, except it looked like a blending between an American bison and a silverback guerilla.

Karin pumped all of the Reiryoku she could into her soccer ball, dropped it, and kicked it strait at the monster. It raised its arm and blocked the ball, crashing through the miniature explosion like it was nothing. Shaking its head, it howled at her again.

"Karin…" Yuzu said, obviously terrified. She had only recently been able to see Hollows.

"Just a second." Karin said, reaching into the bag from Urahara's shop, ripping open the box, and taking out the Zan… whatever. "This should slow him down, and we can make a run for it." Karin said, squeezing the ball until it clicked and started vibrating. She threw the contraption as hard as she could. The moment it made contact with the Hollow, it began to send massive arks of lighting, most of it zeroing in on the monster.

Karin grabbed Yuzu's hand and began to run, trying to get her non-athletic twin to hurry up. The ground shook with the sound of a quick, staccato series of impact. Turning, she saw that the Hollow was still chasing them, and was catching up.

It raised one of its huge hands, and then swung it towards Yuzu. Karin, acting on instinct, turned her whole body, pulling on Yuzu's arm to get her out of the way. There was a nasty cracking noise, and Yuzu screamed.

In a rage, Karin tossed her sports bag off, pulled out a Boken, and attacked. She shoved Reiryoku into the wooden practice sword, like she had done with the ball, and struck. The Hollow blocked, but there was a sound of snapping bone.

Before Karin could celebrate, the creature slammed a blow into her, knocking her down, and lunged. She shoved all the Reiryoku she could manage into the boken and swung, meeting the rushing Hollow. The boken shattered, as did the right side of the creature's mask. Howling, the Hollow grabbed its face, stumbled backwards, and disappeared. Dropping the boken and throwing on her sports bag, Karin ran over to where Yuzu was lying down.

Her right leg was bent disturbingly a few inches below the knee.

######

Karin sat at her desk, staring at the picture of her brother. After his death she had taken his room, in part because she couldn't stand Yuzu's endless crying. Partly so Yuzu wouldn't see hers.

Ichigo had been the protector of the family sence they were young, and now he was gone. He had died taking down the greatest danger ever, apparently. But he was gone.

And now his burden was hers.

But she wasn't him; she wasn't as strong as he was. She lacked the strength to protect her family, let alone her friends or town. Karakura was practically a Hollow nest, and she just couldn't handle it. Oh, she could take down low level Hollows, but nothing large.

She had been afraid of this decision, as it would change her life. She had always wanted to focus her life on soccer, becoming a pro if possible. But that was for _Her_. That was only thinking of her own happiness.

Other people were involved in this.

######

Urahara was heating up some instant ramen when he heard the door open. He recognized the Reiatsu immediately. Surprised, he headed towards the front of the shop.

_Why would she be here?_ He wondered, seeing Karin standing in the middle of the darkened room. Jinta had gotten a call from Yuzu, telling him of her injury, so he had taken off.

"Kurosaki-san~" He said, putting on his cheerful-shopkeeper act, "how unexpected."

"Urahara." She said, voice flat and eyes hard. "I've made my decision."

"Oooh~?"

"I want to be a Shinigami."


	2. 2 What Has Been Gained

**As always: I don't own it, Kubo does.**

**2. What has been gained.**

Karin found herself standing on a metal catwalk, starring at an expanse of walkways made of slim struts and metal mesh, with kidney-high railing. The thing was, there wasn't anything supporting the catwalk; no cables from above or pillars from below.

Speaking of below, it looked to be water. No, that wasn't water; there weren't any ripples or reflections. But it was blue! And white. It had little fluffy puffs of… _Oh god, it's the sky!_

Karin felt a lurch in her stomach, her head began to get fuzzy, making it hard to focus her eyes, and a roar began to fill her ears. Karin found herself sitting limply on the catwalk. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Fufufufu. If looking down did that to you, I would advise against looking up." A smooth, male voice said behind her.

Karin, whirling around to see who had spoken to her, found herself staring at a grinning cat. It stood at about eighteen inches at the shoulder, its fur was a silky black, its eyes were the color of blood, and it was actually grinning at her. As in creepy wide, Cheshire meats the Joker, grin.

"What?" Karin asked. She wasn't entirely put off by the possibility that this cat could speak as it wasn't the first she had seen.

"Pay attention, little girl. I said: 'Don't look up.'"

As any psychologist could tell have told her, this made it virtually impossible for Karin _not_ to look. She immediately wished she hadn't. She was staring at a green and brown patchwork that could only be… the ground.

Yelping, Karin grabbed the edge of the catwalk like she expected to fall right then and there. She couldn't believe this! Up was down, and down was up. Plus the freaky cat. _Okay, now where are the obsessive-compulsive rabbit and the mercury-exposed hatter?_

"Kahahahoho. Heee… Enough of that." Cackled the crazy cat. "You've got far more important things to do. You have about a week to find me, or it will be too late."

"What do you mean find you? You're right there!"

"Fufufu… You're not too bright, are you, little girl?"

"Whatever. Just fucking tell me what you mean." She said.

"Heee… Among all of the 124,643 platforms that are in this sky is one with a Daito Katana (traditional samurai sword) on display." The creature said, in an over-patient voice. "Find that sword, and take it from the case within one week and I can answer some of your questions."

"Umm… Okay? Just one more thing, what's your name?"

"Kahahahahaha… You're getting ahead of yourself, little girl. I said find the sword, and I'll answer questions. You'll have to wait for my name."

######

Karin had been searching from platform to platform for six full days, and was now on her seventh. The platforms had the most random things sitting in their center. Sometimes it was a realistic model of some place that had been important in her past, or a favorite toy. One had had her mom's old car, and another had actually had Ichigo sitting on a park bench, in full Shihakushou, Zangetsu on his back. But he hadn't responded to anything she said, it wasn't really him.

More thought consuming then the things on the platform was the fact that things weren't looking too good. The sky below her was tented red, even though it was around nine-thirty in the morning, and looking up she could see what looked like a haze of smoke and faint, orange and yellow light. The ground was on fire. Even the catwalks weren't looking too good; they were covered with rust and creaking as she walked on them.

And she didn't feel any closer to finding that damn sword.

"You might want to hurry, little girl." It was the voice of the cat. She hadn't seen him sense that very first day. Turning around, she was surprised that she wasn't looking at a cat at all, but a full-grown man, squatting on the catwalk railing.

The man was dressed in what looked like the getup of a ninja; accept it was all red, save for the black scarf covering his face. Pulling the scarf down, he gave her a grin. A huge, Cheshire/Joker grin, blood red eyes twinkling.

"It's your last day, and things are going to start falling apart if you don't find it soon." The man said with that same, too-smooth voice.

"You… are you…?"

"Fufu. Of course I am."

"Listen, Cheshire, could you at least give me a hint?" She asked him, trying to keep the pleading out of her voice.

"Ho~ I'll do better then that. I'll give you two." He grinned, flipping her off with both hands. "Lesson the first:" He said, waiving his right hand at her, still giving her the birdie. "The sword is a thing of spirit." Switching to his left, he continued. "Lesson the second: follow the red ribbon." Still grinning, he leaned in and touched her on the tip of her nose. "Thus endeth the lesson." And he vanished in a puff of red smoke.

Coughing and waiving the smoke from her face, Karin blinked tears from her eyes. "Damn useless creep." She said to herself. "The sward is a thing of spirit? What the hell does that mean?" She continued, annoyed. _Unless…_

Closing her eyes, Karin started feeling for Reiatsu. There were several points that shone out to her like lanterns. _Which is it?_ She pushed harder, needing to know more, and suddenly the points of power seemed to reach for her. Streaks of light snaking from them and moving toward her looking like… _Ribbons! And one of them is _red_!_

Opening her eyes, Karin reached out and grabbed the red ribbon and began to run in its direction, legs pumping hard in her excitement.

After a few hours, she couldn't run anymore, she was too tired. _Why the heck am I hungry? I've gone a _week_ without being hungry at all, and suddenly I'm starving._ The only thing she could think of was that it just took her longer to get hungry while outside of her body.

The real problem was that she was breathing in smoke rising from the ground above her; the sky was the color of dried blood, even though it was around noon, and there were holes rusted through parts of the catwalk. Things were getting really bad.

She left a platform that had a table set with a grill and a plate of raw meat, ready to be cooked and eaten. She wanted to stop _so_ bad. The hunger was driving her crazy; but she had to keep going.

When she got close enough to the next platform to see what was on it, her hart suddenly sped up. Sitting on a marble pedestal was a large glass box with what was _clearly_ a daito on display inside.

Forgetting about how tired and hungry she was Karin ran down the catwalk towards the prize. As she got within twenty yards, her excitement was interrupted by a loud crashing noise. Turning around, Karin was horrified to see peaces of the catwalks and platforms falling _up_, towards the ground. It was falling in a chain reaction, quickly making it's way towards her like a wave of destruction, and she didn't have time!

Turning back towards the platform, Karin dashed as hard as she could. Just as she was almost to the end, there was a screeching sound and the catwalk began to rise, falling towards the ground above her. Reaching the end, she grabbed the edge, flipped herself to the bottom, and jumped down, towards the sky, and reached for the platforms railing.

######

Urahara stared down the shattered shaft at the small girl down there. It had been just over seventy hours since he had cut her chain of fate and she _still_ hadn't come out of Jinzen. _Did I miscalculate?_

He had done hers a little different then her brother. Ichigo was the type that was hopeless unless he was in a hopeless situation. Without that he didn't put in enough effort to succeed in much of anything. He had the skill; he just needed a push to pull it out. For that reason he had rubbed his face in the danger of Shattered Shaft.

He had believed Karin was different, and because of that he had used Tanma Otoshi and driven her into Jinzen. Shattered shaft would help her find her powers, but it would also risk Hollowfication as a side effect.

Suddenly Karin's body tensed as all the links of her chain of fate suddenly turned on each other. _Damn it all. Not again!_

The final encroachment had begun.

Just as the last link fell away, leaving a hole in Karin's chest, she suddenly let out an explosive blast of Reiatsu. A few seconds later she was standing in front of him, wearing a Shihakushou with a black Zanpakutou, with a red tassel hanging from it's pommel, thrust through her obi. The weapon was a bit hard to identify; it could be called a rather long Wakazashi, or a rather short Daitou.

"Welcome back, Kurosaki-chan~" He said, smiling and covering his face with his fan. _She didn't form a mask. Does that mean she won't be a Visored, or that it will come slower then Ichigo's did?_

"I did it!" She said, grinning.

Urahara blinked. He was pretty sure that was the first time he'd ever seen the girl smile. She really aught to do it more often, she was actually a rather cute girl.

"Yoruichi-san~" He called. "Your student is ready!"

**Three Years Later**

Hitsugaya stood on an invisible platform of his own Reiryoku, surround on all sides, in all three dimensions, by a swirling wall of pink blades, looking like nothing more then a sakura blizzard. Goukei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, it was called, and in a few moments it would compress to shred him into hash. _Fuck! Byakuya is really going all out. He usually doesn't go this far._

Focusing, Hitsugaya reached out, and froze all of the millions of blades together in a hollow sphere of ice, himself in its heart. Tensou Jurin, subjugation of the heavens. With a wave of his hand, Hitsugaya shattered the sphere into chunks; the only way Byakuya would be able to use those blades now would be to shave the ice into snow with the blades he undoubtedly had held back from the attack.

Hitsugaya's tightened his hold on his Zanpakutou as he looked down at the Taichou of the 6th Division, who was standing on the ground, looking up at Hitsugaya without emotion. It was like the noble was bored. _Let's change that._

With a quick – very quick – Shunpo, Hitsugaya struck at the noble with a basic, downward stroke, one that would cleave his opponent's skull in two. His blade was interrupted by a wave of Sakura blades, blocking him soundly. The instant his blade made contact he froze them, the force of his swing shattering the wall of ice, and Shunpoed behind his adversary.

Just as he was attacking, Byakuya Shunpoed away, attacking Hitsugaya from the left with a Daitou the same color as his Senbonzakura petals. _Senkai? Damn, this isn't like him._

Hitsugaya Shunpoed into the attack, allowing it to cleave into his left wing, grabbed Byakuya's sword arm and froze it to the shoulder, sticking it to his hand to keep him from getting away. At the same time he cut through the pectoral muscle, bicep's tendons, and a few other important connective tissues, in a quick stroke. Stomping on Byakuya's foot Hitsugaya froze it to the ground and put his own Zanpakutou to Byakuya's throat.

"I would advise against moving so much as one freaking petal, unless you want me to freeze your entire body." Hitsugaya said, coolly. He was now a little taller then Byakuya, as he had hit a growth spurt shortly after he perfected his Bankai. He wasn't much taller, just enough that if he looked straight ahead he would be looking at the man's eyebrows.

"Impressive victory, Hitsugaya-Taichou. You have managed to beat me two out of three times for the last three months. You have improved greatly." Byakuya said, as if it were no concern to him that he was virtually helpless with a Bankai at his throat.

Snorting, Hitsugaya unfroze Byakuya and Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, released his Bankai, and activated the Kido to begin undoing the damage he had done to Byakuya's arm. "You seem rather intense today. I've rarely seen you pull out Senkai, and never seen you use Goukei at all. At least not in a sparing match."

"No reason." He said, and then paused in thought. "I have been on edge. I'm not entirely sure what to think about Urahara's plan for…" Byakuya said, slowly.

"It's a waist of time." Hitsugaya said, without hesitation. "He has created a monster, no more. He will do nothing but make that monster more dangerous. They should kill the thing, now."

"I agree. Accept, there is that thought: 'What if it works?'"

"Why do think I haven't been more vocal in my objections?"

######

Liontári Psária, an Adjucha of Hueco Mundo, squatted on one of the lower branches of a tree in the Menos Forest. Before him stood three giants in black shrouds, there faces covered in identical, long nosed masks. In fact every detail about them was identical, from the holes in their middles, to their long arms and the ring of spikes circling it's shoulders.

Gillian, they were called, the lowest class of the Menos Grande. They were the servants of his kind, the Adjuchas. The Adjuchas ruled the Menos Forest and the Vasto Lordes, the highest class of Menos, ruled Hueco Mundo itself. Or, rather, that was how it was supposed to be.

_Damn, fucking, shit-grubbing Shinigami!_ Liontári was entirely disgusted that the Vasto Lorde had given the entire world of Hueco Mundo to Aizen, even if he was a former-Shinigami. That didn't matter. He _was _Shinigami.

Worse, the Vasto Lorde had been corrupted, taking up Zanpakutou like the blasted Shinigami. Blasphemy! And now, after the death of Aizen, they _still_ had Shinigami running around Los Noches. _Damn that Zanpakutou wielding sea-bitch. She's a freaking traitor to her species and her world._

Standing, the Adjucha looked at the Gillians. "You will wait for me, here." Turning, they wouldn't be able to respond, as they were only a little smarter then beasts, Liontári Psária opened up Garganta and stepped into Karakura town. _I'm going to get these stinking Shinigami out of my world._

######

Karin jumped, driving Reiryoku through her legs to increase the speed of her jump beyond what her tremendous strength could accomplish, which was saying something. Using the momentum of her jump, she slammed her right foot into the hollows face, breaking both mask and bone.

Jumping off of its face before it disintegrated, she lunged toward the other one and drove her knee into its mask. Rinse and repeat.

Landing on the pavement, she walked toward the ghost. He was tall, with dark hair, a toned and muscular body, and a gorgeous face. As she approached, he shook his head, as if coming out of a daze.

"Hello, there. I must thank you for saving me like that. Perhaps I should show my appreciation." He said, putting a curled finger under her chin and leaning down to kiss her.

She leaned forward and… slammed her forehead into the bridge of his nose, breaking it. "Oh, sorry. I must have slipped." She said, dryly, and drew her Zanpakutou, slamming its pommel into his head, hard enough to crack his skull. With a flash of blue light, the annoying ghost was gone, guided by a Hell-Butterfly

_It's partially may own fault…_ She thought, looking down at her Shihakushou. She was wearing the traditional uniform of the Onmitsukidou, which, admittedly, showed off a _lot_ of skin.

She wore it both because it was extremely convenient for someone her preferred Hakuda, like herself, but also to honor the two women she admired most: Yoruichi-sensei and Soi-Fon-Taichou. Both women had helped train her, though Soi-Fon only did it when she came to visit her former Taichou.

Sighing, Karin sheathed her short Zanpakutou into is scabbard at the small of her back. Really, the scabbard was only there when she needed it, as it dissolved into smoke the moment she drew her weapon.

Karin jumped up, onto a nearby roof, and began to Shunpo her way back home. When she got there, she Slipped through the open window, sunk into her body, and headed down the stairs, just as Yuzu yelled: "Dinner's ready!"

Karin sat down at the table, accepting the bowl of miso-soup, and began to eat. The meal was a nice one: miso-soup followed by curry and rice. It was one of Karin's personal favorites.

"Nice spread." She commented to her younger twin. Karin and the girl were complete opposites. Yuzu just barely made it past five foot; was curvy with a large bust; long brown hair; soft, dark brown eyes; and was about as girlish as any girl could get.

Karin wasn't exactly tall, at 5'4", but she was slim and lithe. Her curves were more subdued, as was her bust. She had toned muscles that were quite visible, though that was as much due to her low body-fat percentage as it was her muscle size. To keep it from getting in her way, she had cut her hair into a short, spiky due, kind of like what Tatsuki had early in high school. And her eyes weren't soft, but a hard, dark grey that often looked entirely black.

"Thanks." Yuzu said, giving Karin a frosty look. Their father, Isshin, was away on a business trip today, so it was just them. Karin actually missed him. He had made these meals bearable, because he distracted Yuzu. Her twin was completely pissed off that Karin had gone and gotten into the very thing that had killed their brother.

Did it matter that Karin wanted to protect her family, her friends, and her town? No. All that mattered was that Yuzu get to live her little delusion that staying out of it would keep them safe.

Yeah, right.

"So, how was your day?" Karin asked, hoping to distract her sister. "It was good. I think I did well on the test and on the pop-quiz. I was confessed to twice, though. I really don't get why they keep coming. I mean, it's flattering, but I've been with Jinta for _three years_ now." She said, as she got herself a bowl of curry.

Because high grades were required by Yoruichi-sensei, Karin had managed to skip a year and graduate early, while Yuzu was still in school.

"Speaking of Jinta, look what he got me today." Yuzu said, showing off her earrings. They were silver dangles with little pearls at the end of them. Just the sort of thing Yuzu would love, and Karin would shove into the back of her panty drawer.

"Looks good on you." Karin said, honestly. Her sister could actually pull it off.

"Thanks." Yuzu said focusing on her meal again.

"So, I'm done now. I'm going to get some sleep, see you tomorrow."

"Kay, See you."

Karin went upstairs and took a quick shower, put on a pair of cozy underwear and an overlarge T-shirt, and then crawled into bed and passed out.

**A/N: Man, I was hopping to have this out sooner, but I realized I didn't have enough of an idea of what happened next. So, I had to do some plotting. Then I had to pack for moving.**

**This wasn't where the chapter was supposed to end. I decided to go through an introductory "bad-guy" mini-arc, so that we could get to know Karin and her style before getting into things. I had planned to put it into this chapter; but then the part where Karin got her Shinigami powers took FAR longer then I expected, and I found myself at 3,000+ words without even really starting Karin's part in it.**

**So, Liontári Psária will have to be dealt with next time.**


	3. 3 A Tragedy, a Trap, and a Culmination

**As usual, I neither own Bleach nor it's characters; Kubo does.**

**Warning: Some graphic descriptions of gruesome deaths; not for the squeamish. Reader's discretion is advised.**

**######**

3. A Tragedy, a Trap, and a Culmination

Waking up early in the morning, to the blaring of her alarm, Karin went out for her normal jog and workout. She got back, rinsed off, got dressed for the day and went down to eat for breakfast.

"Good morning." Said Yuzu, making breakfast.

"Morning." She said, taking a plate and nodding in thanks.

She sat, flipped on the TV, and picked up her chopsticks to eat. "Itadakimasu."

"-stigation will continue until the one responsible for the oil spill has been discovered." The news anchor said, in a slightly nasal voice. "Closer to home, six people were murdered near us, in Karakura town. They were discovered last night when the landlord heard multiple screams and called the police. Police report that it was so brutal, it looks more like a mauling by a large animal then an attack by a human. However, no animal's have been reported escaping from the Zoo."

_ A mauling? Six people? Might be a Hollow._ Karin thought, finishing her breakfast quickly. "Thanks, Yuzu." Karin said, putting the plate in the dishwasher and heading upstairs.

Opening her laptop, she did a quick search looking for more details. The case all but screamed Hollow: strange injuries, locked doors, and the fact that the landlord didn't see anything even though he said that he ran over their right after calling the police. She would need to go there and check it out.

Dropping on her bed, she pulled out her Substitute Shinigami Soulphone (S.S.S.), and pushed the skull button. She immediately popped out of her body, slipped the S.S.S. in the holder on her thigh, covered by her Hakama, and jumped out the window.

The SSS was designed by the Shinigami Research Institute to replace the badge that had previously been in use. It allowed her to leave her body, and allowed the Soul Society to keep track of the Hollow's she killed, as she collected a bounty on them. This way she didn't need to get a job, she got paid to kill Hollow's.

It didn't take Karin long to Shunpo the distance to the apartment's at which the slayings had taken place. She jumped the yellow tape, carefully avoided the police.

She felt a strange sense of Reiatsu. It was quite dense and coming from the walls, floor, and several objects. It was as though something had irradiated the surfaces with Reiryoku.

The bodies were fairly gruesome, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen. Claws had torn them open, the unusual bruising from violent contact with a spirit. Then she got to the last room. The women's head had been crushed, leaving nothing above the nose, which was torn and shoved into the skull. Her open mouth was full of blood and brains, which had been shoved through her sinuses and the roof of her mouth. But the worst part wasn't the women.

It was her two-year-old little girl. Her head was turned almost completely around, her skull slightly misshapen, one eyeball popped open, and she had been eviscerated.

Unable to control herself, Karin Shunpoed out of the open window into a small windbreak of trees and emptied her stomach on the ground. She had seen bodies in worse condition but, somehow, the fact that it was a toddler mad everything worse.

While leaning against a tree she noticed something and, desperate to forget what she had just seen, she focused on it. The tree was giving out a faint sense of Reiatsu, just like the apartment. The ground was too, and a bolder ahead of her. Karin quickly realized that it was actually a trail. Something had literally left a trail of Reiatsu.

Hollow Reiatsu.

_Gotcha!_

######

Tier Halibel, former Tercera Espada of Aizen's army and current ruler of Hueco Mundo, walked the outer wall of Los Noches, staring at the barren dessert outside. She had lived many years of her after-life out there, fighting for survival in a world that was dominated by male monsters.

Following the tall blond were three very different Arrancars, her Fracciones. Sung-Sun, the lavender eyed Bishoujo; Apacci, the sharp eyed and horned firebrand; and Mila Rose, a lioness with feminine curves second only to Halibel's own. As usual the latter two were arguing while Sung-sun insulted them both with cool, scathing comments.

A small Reiatsu approached Tier, so she turned to see who it was. It was one of the lower level Numeros, either a weak Adjucha, or maybe even a unique Gillian. Raising an eyebrow, she waited for the Arenac to speak.

"Lady Halibel." He said, bowing deeply.

"Report." She said, quietly.

"You have a message on your private drive, my lady." He said, looking down.

"Dismissed." Halibel said, heading towards the nearest control center. It wasn't long before she reached one, opened its door, and waived the Arrancar at the controls out of the room. Accessing her drive, she entered her pass-code, consisting of thirty-two random symbols from multiple writing systems, and accessed her message.

After reading, she stood and smiled under her mask, a massive thing that completely covered the lower half of her face, her entire neck, her shoulders, and the significant parts of her breasts. Hers was the largest mask of any of the Espada, or even the Numeros.

"Apacci." She called over her shoulder.

"Yes, lady Halibel?" The Fraccion asked, entering the room.

"Code: 'howl'."

######

Liontári Psária* waited impatiently for the girl to show up. She was the brother of the hero of the damn Shinigami. She was also, apparently the friend of a few important people in the Soul Society. She was, in other words, a perfect fulcrum.

The Arrancar looked through the small, peephole sized Garganta, waiting for his prey. First, he would weaken her, then disarm her, and, finally, capture her. _Forcing those _fuckers_ shouldn't be that difficult with that kind of leverage!_

Suddenly, a motion caught his attention. _Was tha…? Yes!_ Liontári Psária turned to the three Gillian.

######

The trail of the Reiatsu led Karin into a large, empty parking lot before it vanished. Looking around, Karin tried to sense the presence of anything. There was a faint, fluttering sense of _something_. But nothing was clear.

Abruptly, Karin felt a massive spike in Reiatsu and turned to see a tear in the air, right in the center of the lot, spread open. Three huge and identical Hollow's exited through the holes, entering the world of the living. They were ridiculously tall in its black robes, with white spikes forming a collar.

Menos Grande, first form: Gillian.

Karin had never seen one in person, but she had seen images of them and had them described by Yoruichi. They were apparently made of multiple Hollows blended together in some way.

A bare instant after seeing the monsters exit their home dimension Karin grinned and drew her Zanpakutou, the scabbard turning to black smoke, and prepared to deal with anything. The weapon was a little short, compared to most Zanpakutou, with a common looking blade, a plain, black tsuba (guard), and a black wrapped grip. The eel-skin underneath the cords was dyed red, as was the tassel hanging from the pommel.

Almost as soon as she drew her blade, the three giants sent their signature Cero towards Karin. She jumped over them, and towards the Menos on the far right. She landed on the spikes, and decapitated the creature with one swing.

The Gillian directly to the left of the now headless monster fired another Cero. Heart thumping, Karin shoved herself off the spikes, barely managing to get out of the way. _Dammit! That was way too close. _She thought, cutting its head down the center.

Just as with the last one, the final Menos sent a red cone of energy at her. She immediately Shunpoed to the ground, and severed it's leg at the knee. As it fell, she ran over to where its head would fall, and split it's mask in two with one stroke as it crashed into the ground.

Heart pounding, and a little short of breath from the adrenalin, Karin leaned down on her knees. She hadn't thought she would succeed so quickly. But, then again, she sparred with Taichou level Shinigami on a regular basis.

Just as Karin was catching her breath, she felt a rise in Reiatsu even larger then those of the Gillians. Turning she looked at the creature. It looked more like a standard Hollow then the Gillians had. It was basically humanoid, with two fins on it's humped back that sprouted what looked like nothing more the tentacles. It's broad, fish like mask split as it howled at her.

"You're mine Kusosaki!" The creature yelled at her with a harsh voice, it's eyes glowing amber.

_ That has to be another Menos Grande, probably a second level: an Adjucha. And… its Reiatsu was what I felt at the apartment!_

The monster charged her and swiped at her with its long claws, trying to grab her. She dodged the grasping claws and struck at its mask, but it blocked with it's other hand.

Before she could react further, the tentacles sprouting from it's back, flashed forward and wrapped around his arms and legs. Searing pain flashed through her skin at the point of contact, and running through her nerves to her wrists and shoulders.

As she was fighting off the pain, the creature drove a fist forward, intending to strike her in the torso. She gripped her Zanpakutou harder, shoved Reiryoku into it, and called its name.

"Sosatsu, Chigetsu!"** With a rush of wind, a spike in Reiatsu, and a flash of red-rimmed white, she was holding her Shikai. It was in the shape of a slim, shallow crescent, sharpened on both edges. One third of one end of the blade was wrapped in blood red cloth, leaving a sword only slightly longer then a Wakazashi.

With a flick of her wrist, Karin cut most of the tentacles holding her right arm. She swung the weapon, parrying the punch and cutting off a finger at the same time; raising the blade over her head, and looking the Adjucha in the eye, she shouted. "Getsuga Tenshou."

With a swing of the blade a red-rimmed crescent of white energy rushed forward, barely missing the Menos as it Sonidod away. _Dammit, so close!_

"I am too smart to fall for that, you Shinigami bitch." The Adjucha yelled. "I am Liontári Psária; I will be a legend and I will destroy you!"

Liontári Psária dove at her from behind, striking at her with it's left claws. She blocked, holding he sword with two hands. The force of the blow sent vibrations through her arms. Maintaining enough force to try and keep her occupied, the Menos struck at her with it's other claws.

"Katsu!"*** She screamed, and drew a second, identical Chigetsu out of the one in her right hand, and blacked the other attack. Stepping out of the range of its claws, she raised both swords as it sent its remaining tentacles after her.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Two, smaller red and white crescents flew from her blades as she swung, cutting off all of the creatures tentacles. As the creature screamed, distracted by the pain, Karin Shunpoed behind the Menos and decapitated it with a quick stroke.

Karin sealed her Zanpakutou and sheathed it, the scabbard reappearing as she thought of it, and sat down hard. Though the fight hadn't lasted all that long, it had been the single most draining of her three years as a Shinigami. Her arms showed burns from the tentacles, which seemed to have been poisonous; she'd have to go to Yoruichi-sensei to make sure that minor burns were the only effects.

A beeping and vibrating from the aria of her thigh startled her, and she reached into the Hakama's gap at her right hip, pulling the S.S.S. from it's little pocket on the garter-like strap. Flipping it open, she looked at the bounty she had earned.

Her eyes popping, Karin smiled. _Now I have another reason to go by Urahara's shop!_

######

Urahara was heating up some water to make some instant ramen, every bachelor's favorite meal, when he heard the front door of his shop open up.He had sensed it coming ever sense it had exited some sort of portal three miles to the west of his shop. _Definitely and Arrancar._

Turning off the faucet, Urahara made his way to the front of his shop and found what he expected: an Arrancar. She was thin, and wild looking. Her mask fragment was a helmet with a single horn sprouting from the front. Her hair was black, her right eye was pale-blue, while her left eye, surrounded with a dark-pink liner, was brown.

"How may I he…" Urahara began, covering his face with his fan.

"Are you Kisuke Urahara?" She asked, interrupting.

"Why Yes, I a…" He began to reply.

"Are you sure? You look like a freaking moron to me, not some former Taichou!"

"Why, I'm just a humble shopkeeper trying to make my way in the world~" He said, his shopkeeper smile plastered on his face.

"What? I thought you said you were Kisuke Urahara!" She said, getting angry.

"I am. And I once was a Taichou; but that was a long time ago. I am now simply a shop keeper… and a dabbler." He said, sighing.

"Well make up your fucking mind, you asshole! My mistress, Lady Halibel, has ordered me to send you a message." She yelled at him.

_ Could it be?_ He wondered, his pulse increasing. "And…?"

"We found him."

*** (~Translation: Lion-Fish)**

**** (~Translation: Slaughter, Blood-Moon)**

***** (~Translation: Split/divide)**

**A/N: This was a lot of fun to write, though it ended up shorter then the last two chapters. It was a fairly simple fight and enemy, but it was mostly an excuse to introduce you to her Shikai and some of what it can do, as well as get you used to the idea that I'm not going to pull punches with the violence and brutality. Fundoshi o shimete kakaru!**

**Please review.**


	4. 4 Hopes Gone Awry

**As usual, I neither own Bleach, nor it's characters; Kubo does.**

######

4. Hopes Gone Awry

Tier Halibel stood on the sands of Hueco Mundo, Las Noches in the distance. Sung-sun and Mila Rose stood in sullen silence behind her. They weren't too happy that Apacci had been the one trusted with the mission.

"Lady Halibel. Surely it would be best if we accom…"

"Enough, Mila Rose. I have made my decision!" Halibel interrupted.

"Yes, Lady Halibel. I apologize."

Suddenly, Garganta opened a little to her left, and the horned Fraccion walked through, followed by the sandy haired scientist. The man often reminded her of Aizen: a genius, scary powerful, and a former Taichou of the Gotei 13. Yet, he was different in a very important way: he was humble.

Oh, there was a certain arrogant pride about him, as you would find with _any_ man of skill. Yet, there was a lack of the over-reaching ambition that Aizen radiated as surely as he did Reiatsu.

"Good evening Halibel-hime~." He said to her, a rather ridiculous smile on his face.

"He was located several Giga-meters south of Los Noches. Follow me." She said, skipping all the formalities. She hated wasting time.

"Lead the way~" He said, covering his face with a fan.

Turning south, she began to Sonido quickly, expecting that he would be able to keep up. He kept to her left, only a few inches behind her, keeping up with her every move. Her Fracciones staid behind, sullen at not being able to back up their mistress, but they would never be able to keep up.

After a few hours of this, she slowed to a simple sprint of about 60 km/h. After about five minutes of this, they were joined by Numero 65, who sonidoed over to run on her right side.

"Report." She said, brusquely.

"He is just over that dune in the distance." He said. "Are you sure we have enough people? It's always harder to take someone alive then kill them, and this guy seems scary powerful."

"We're Arrancar, I'm more powerful now then even Stark was before breaking his mask. This shouldn't be a problem." She reassured the Arrancar.

As soon as they reached the top of the Dune, she paused. He stood at about six foot, covered in white armor plates, had a thin, whip-like tail, and claws. He had fur at his collar, wrists, and ankles, and stripes across his chest, around his hole, and up his neck. His mask was similar to a human skull, with slits for eye sockets, and horns. The horns curves forward, in front of its head.

He truly was intimidating. Not just his appearance, but also his powerful and violent Reiatsu.

The moment he saw them, he howled and beg to charge a huge Cero between his horns. Halibel immediately began charging a Cero to counter his. It took all of her power to keep from being overwhelmed, but it still blew across her.

The moment it cleared, he appeared in front of her, claws raised to strike. His Sonido was one of the fastest she had ever seen.

"Hado Number One, Sho*!" Urahara shouted from her left, and the Vasto Lorde was thrown to the side violently. Halibel glanced at the Shinigami and saw him standing with a look in his eye that chilled her to her hole.

The Vasto Lorde was on his feat immediately, but before he could do anything, Urahara shouted again.

"Bakudo Number Sixty-One, Rikujokorou*!" Six bars of golden light slammed into the horned Hollow from all side, holding him in place.

Howling, the creature began to push at them, cracking the Bakudo spell.

His eyes widening, Urahara began to chant. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" With those words the spell flashed, and grew larger and, apparently, stronger. But, the Vasto Lorde still fought the Kido. "Bakudo Number 63, Sajou Sabaku***!" A glowing chain of gold shot out of Urahara's fingers, wrapping around the arms and upper torso of the Hollow.

With a howl, the creature spiked its Reiatsu, straining against the chains. They began to stretch as he warped the links with the sheer power of his arms.

"That wont hold for long." Halibel shouted at the Shinigami, stunned both by the power of the former Taichou, and that of the Menos Grande before her.

"Bakudo Number Seventy-Nine, Kuyou Shibari****!" Urahara shouted and a sphere of black energy bloomed into existence above the straining Hollow's head. It was followed, in a clock wards direction, by seven others forming circle surrounding the Vasto Lorde, and another one blooming against his chest; nine spheres in all.

"That should hold him for a little bit." Urahara said, pulling out a small device. It looked like a syringe mounted with a flashlight's bulb where the needle should be. The filament inside formed a thirteen-pointed star.

With a quick Shunpo Urahara appeared right in front of the monstrous Menos Grande, pointed the device at it's face, And began chanting. "Wind carries the smell of a moth in the fires of hell. Binding thought and sneering lord, piercing weight and an omniscient fool. Hirameki no Hogyoku*****!" He pressed down the plunger.

A flash of violet light, followed first by the sound of glass breaking, then the sound of a mask cracking.

With an explosion of powerful Reiatsu, most of the mask and all of the armor was blown off the hollow. Suddenly the Reiatsu dropped back down to a more stable, yet still large, level. And Ichigo Kurosaki fell, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Halibel walked up to him and looked down. He was paler then he had been as a Shinigami, and his hair was more of a platinum blond then the orange-ish strawberry-blond he had been. His hair was longer, falling over his eyes and ears, curling around the nape of his neck.

The mask was broken down the center, both vertically and horizontally, leaving only the top, left quarter. It stopped above his eyebrow and ear, with one horn protruding forward. He had a single teal stripe running along the horn and cap, and one tattoo like teal mark running from his left eye, across his mouth, and down to his jaw line, just to the left of his chin.

He was also completely naked.

Halibel found herself blushing. It wasn't the first time she had seen a man naked, but it had been many years.

"Huh, never thought of clothing." Urahara said, looking down at the Arrancar, a half Hollow, and half Shinigami hybrid. He pulled of his Haori, wrapped it around the blond, and threw him over his shoulder. "Shall we return to Los Noches?"

* Shō: (衝) Thrust

** Rikujokorou: (六杖光牢) Six-Staff Light Prison

*** Sajou Sabaku (鎖条鎖縛) Chainlink Chain Bond(s)

**** Kuyou Shibari (九曜縛) Nine-Daylight Bonds

***** Hirameki no Hogyoku (閃の崩玉) Hogyoku Flash

######

Dena knocked on Rex's office door and entered before he could say anything. Well, they called it an office, but it was more of a private training room. It was mostly a large, empty space with some workout equipment and meditation area. There was also a table that could be used as a desk, though it was so high you could only stand at it, or sit on a barstool stool.

"Olla, César*!" She called out, interrupting his workout. He was performing a full-planche, and based off the digital timer, he had been at it for three hours strait.

"Do not call me that, Sebte**." He said, without expression.

As usual, Dena's heart was pounding far harder then it should. She never got used to being around him, feeling his powerful Reiatsu around her made her feel more comfortable, and incredibly nervous.

Though she was a beautiful woman, August Rex had never looked at her as a woman. She was a Spaniard with a black hair, dark brown eyes, and a flamenco dancer's build. She wore black, hip-hugger slacks, high healed, platform boots, and a ruffled, scarlet, silk shirt. Her hair was pulled up into ponytail and she was wearing large, looped earrings.

No mater how hard she tried, the frustrating blond would never look at her as anything but a former student.

"Si. I'll call you "Rey***" then!" She said. "So, you wanted to see me? Um… how long are you planning on doing that?" She asked, looking at his awkward position. He was standing on his hands, but instead of being vertical, in a typical handstand, he was horizontal. The full-planche was an extremely hard position, as it required great strength, balance, and endurance.

"I plan on breaking my last record of five hours, forty-three minutes, seventeen seconds, and sixty-three milliseconds."

"Rey, your crazy! What's the point of that?"

"Don't give me names, call me Rex; and I have to challenge myself, or I will go stagnant. This is the only way we old people can keep young."

Dena blinked. She always forgot just how old he was, because he looked to be in his late twenties, or early thirties. "Riiiight… So, again, why am I here?"

"I want you to go to Hueco Mundo for a deeper recon. I think we need a look inside Los Noches. Take whichever team you prefer."

"Mannschaft-Sechs**** should work, Nanami's Fullbring is perfect for recon, and Katrina's is perfect to get us out."

"Huh, I tell you to go into the heart of enemy territory, and you want to take the weakest team of the Zwölf-Gottheiten? Your crazy."

"It's about the quality of the power, not the size. You should know that better then anyone, August." She said, amused.

"What is with you and names? Didn't I tell you to use my surname?"

"If I can't give you a nickname, at least let me use your given name."

"Just go."

"Fine!" She said, and left in a huff. "Katrina! Nanami! Get your buts out here." She screamed dawn the hall. "We've got a mission!"

* César: Caesar (Sp)

** Sebta: 7th (Gr)

*** Rey: King (Sp)

**** Mannschaft-Sechs: Team-7 (Gr)

######

"He's waking up." The short, blond Vizard said, looking into the shield. Urahara had called in Hachi, the former second in command of the Kido corps, to assist; and he had taken Hiyori along. The massive, soft looking Vizzard had set up a huge, multi-layered barrier the size of four football fields, the newest Arrancar resting in the center.

"You ready?" Urahara asked Halibel.

"Of course I am." She said, rolling her eyes at the annoying ex-Taichou.

"Hachi." He said, and the huge Vizard slapped his hands together, then he slammed them into the ground, opening a door in the barrier.

Halibel stepped into the huge space, the hole in the barrier sealing behind her, and headed over to the Arrancar, as he slowly sat up.

"Hey, who are you?" He asked, in a bored voice.

"That suggests that you haven't regained your memories." She said, matter of factly. "What do you remember from before?"

"Huh? Answer my fucking question before you go asking your own." He said, standing and glairing at her. He was wearing a traditional white Hakama of Los Noches, with a strange Kimono. It looked more like a western duster then anything. Like was often the case, it changed its shape to match the person. Actually, now that she thought back, it looked like his Bankai's Shihakushou; except, it was white with a teal lining rather then black and red.

"I am Tier Halibel, former Trecero Espada, present ruler of Hueco Mundo."

"Huh. Not a bell ringin' here." He said, shrugging. "Well, I remember roaming Hueco Mundo. I remember being trapped in this palace while I was an Adjucha, and I remember escaping. Then I became a Vasto Lorde, fought you and some crazy guy, and now… what the heck did you do to me?"

"He broke the barrier between Hollow and Shinigami, making you an Arrancar."

"Okay… Not completely following, but that can wait. Now the question is, why am I inside this cage thing?" He asked, looking around.

"So you don't remember anything from before you became a Hollow?"

"First, I don't remember anything from before I became a Gillian, and even that's hazy; and second, answer my fucking question."

"You are inside this barrier because we can't be sure that we can trust you, as of yet."

"Fuck you, bitch. Let me out, and I promise not to tear you limb from limb." He said, standing and picking up his Zanpakutou. The weapon looked like his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, except it was white, and the eel-skin under the silk cord on the grip was teal instead of red.

In answer, she simply drew her Zanpakutou.

He was on her in an instant, the speed and power behind his attacks surprising her. He kept on her, a barrage of fast, powerful attacks that she could barely block. She quickly Sonidoed out of the way, but he was suddenly behind her. _Damn, he's fast._

Charging her sword with blue Reiryoku, she avoided his attack and swung, shouting: "Ola Azul*!"

He smashed the wave of energy apart with his Zanpakutou and vanished, appearing a few yards behind her, and formed a teal Cero in his hand.

_Fuck!_ She formed a yellow Cero in her own hand and released it at the same time he did. _He's so fucking powerful!_

With a quick Sonido, she appeared behind him and sent a Bala at his back. But, he was gone, appearing from the end of a Sonido above her and sending over a dozen Bala flying at her, from both hands and feet, spinning around in a chaotic, acrobatic move allowing him to keep punching and kicking the Hollow attacks at her.

With an instinctual Sonido, she dodged the Balas and raised her Zanpakutou. "Ute, Tiburon**!" She shouted, and was engulfed in a sudden rush of salt water. With a swing of her Zanpakutou, she dispersed the water. The part of her mask that had covered her face was gone, but the part on her shoulders and grown shark-fin shaped spikes; and from the bottom of her breasts down was a line of bone-like plates, looking almost like a spine, running the centerline of her abdomen. She wore a mini-skirt of bones slats, and her forearms and lower legs were covered in white armor. Two long strips of white cloth hung from her pauldrons.

And Tiburon had become a huge, shark-tooth shaped, gill slitted sword.

"Cascada***!" She shouted, sending a rushing surge of water at the Arrancar, enough to crush him and the ground he stood on. This was one of her most powerful attacks.

The thump of a Sonido sounded behind her, and she turned to see Ichigo pointing his Zanpakutou at her, his left hand gripping his right for-arm.

"Decapitar, Psicópata****!" He screamed. With a flash of teal-rimmed, white Reiryoku, he stood before her, radiating incredible Reiatsu. _He's already figured out Resoreccion? Did he learn simply from watching me?_

He was exactly like he had been as a Vasto Lorde, except he had no armor, the stripes which had been red were now teal, he no longer had a tail, and there was no longer any mask. Not even the half cap he had had earlier. The marks that had previously been on his mask were now on his face, and his platinum blond hair had grown to waist length.

The only remnants of his mask were two horns sprouting out of his head and arching forward.

A huge Cero began to form between the horns. Acting immediately, Halibel used Sonido to move out of the way, when she was certain he was about to fire. Yet, he simply turned his head, charging a little longer, and released it.

Charging her own Cero inside Tiburon, she swung her sword, sending out a Cero to block his. It didn't work. His Cero dominated hers with ease. And he was to her left, sending a bombardment of Balas at her.

She Sonidoed away, and swung her sword at him. "La Gota*****" She screamed, sending water that had formed around her blade flying at Ichigo.

Yet he was behind her, slamming her in the kidney. She Sonidoed away, holding her side in pain, and sent another La Gota at him. Yet he was right in front of her, within her guard, holding the tip of Tiburon with his left hand. Raising his right, he punched her sword, shattering it into two shards.

Using the two-foot end section, he slammed her to the ground. _Fuck, fuck, fuck. He's way too strong._

He was standing before her when she stood up. With a punch to her gut, he sent her flying, and bouncing off the barrier. With a thudding sound, he was next to her, kicking her another hundred yards. As she got up, he was, once again, standing there. He struck her in the temple, and she dropped.

She had only felt this dominated once, and that was with Aizen. She felt her Resureccion fade, leaving her with the hilt of a Zanpakutou and nothing more.

Rearing back his fist, Ichigo struck her in the mask, shattering it. A flash of pain shocked Halibel, locking all her muscles. He then began to systematically rip away her mask, until there was nothing left.

Pain was all she knew for a moment. The strange, soul tearing pain of the masks absence, and the feeling of raw skin on her face, neck, shoulders, and, worst of all, her nipples.

Feeling a grip on the back of her neck, she looked up into Ichigo's shinning, golden eyes. He looked strangely intense for a moment, and then he leaned forward and kissed her on her bloodied lips.

Pain forgotten, Halibel was too stunned by the suddenness of the kiss, and her extremely positive reaction to it, to do anything but receive it.

He pulled away and looked down at her. "You look far better without the mask." He said, and crushed the bones of her neck with his left hand.

Everything went black.

* Ola Azul: Blue Wave (Sp)

** Ute, Tiburon: Destroy, Shark (Sp)

*** Cascada: Cascade (Sp)

**** Decapitar, Psicópata: Decapitate, Psychopath (Sp)

***** La Gota: The Drop (Sp)

######

_ Fuck! Did he kill her?_ Acting quickly Urahara turned towards the giant rosette. "Hachi, bind him!"

"Right!" The Vizzard said, and pointed his fingers at the Arrancar. "Bakudo Number Sixty-Three, Sajou Sabaku!" And a Kido chain flew from his fingers, passing through the barriers and wrapped around the Ichigo. Hachi was the only one that could send anything _through_ his barriers.

Immediately, Ichigo began to stretch the chain. It wouldn't last much longer. "Bakudo Number Thirty-Five, Kuroi Hougou*!" Urahara's eyes widened, that was a forbidden Kido. He turned to see what it actually looked like, as he had never seen that particular one used.

Thousands of black wires tore into the skin of Ichigo's arm, came out the other side, went across (or through) his torso and repeated the same process on the other arm. Urahara shuddered, that was a fairly nasty Bakudo. And yet, Ichigo still fought it, tearing his own skin.

"Bakudo Number Ninety-Nine, Bankin**; First Song: Shiryuu***." Hachi slammed his hands into the ground, and, with a flash of white light, cloth shot out of the ground, through the barrier, and wrapped around Ichigo.

"Second song: Hyakurensan****!" And multiple metal bolts shot into Ichigo, nailing the cloth directly to his flesh.

"Third Song: Bankin Taihou*****!" Hachi slapped his hands together, forearms parallel to the ground. A huge, metal weight formed in the air above Ichigo and fell, pinning him to the ground.

"Well done, Hachi-dono." Urahara said, looking at the Vizzard's handiwork. "Now, open a…" He began, but stopped when he saw the weight shift.

Ichigo was trying to get up! "Hachi!"

"Bakudo Number Ninety-Nine, Kin******!" Hachi shouted, wrapping his middle fingers around his forefingers, and curling his ring and pinky fingers, he slapped his hands together. Two long, black straps fell out of the sky and crossed over the Bankin weight, and were then covered in a series of rectangular weights, holding them down.

"Quickly, open up a door!" Urahara yelled, ready to Shunpo. "Hiyori, get Tiburon, I'll get her."

The moment a rectangular opening appeared in the barriers, they flashed through, he grabbed Halibel and Hiyori got the Zanpakutou. He was about to leave when he heard a noise, he turned and saw that Ichigo had broken from the first two Kido's and was digging a howl in the ground, in front of his face.

In a flash, Urahara was out, dragging Hiyori by her Shihakushou, and shouting: "Close it!" It was almost too late, because Ichigo drove his horns down, into the hole, and pressed his hands flat against the ground, and begun to charge _three_ Ceros. Red light exploded outward, just as the barrier slammed closed.

"That was close!" Hachi said, watching as the light faded, leaving a cloud of dust.

"Too close." Urahara said, looking at Tier Halibel. Suddenly, she retched, spewing out a white, dough-like substance, which began to form into a skeleton jaw-line on the left side of her face.

"Her mask is coming rather slow… is that all it's going to do?" Hiyori asked, looking down at the former Espada.

"Maybe her injury is slowing its formation." Urahara said, beginning to heal the crushed bones in her neck.

"Eeeh?" Urahara heard Hachi say, and turned to look. Ichigo stood in all his resurrected glory, surrounded by the shards of two level Ninety-Nine Bakudos.

"Let me out of this thing, fuckers!" He screamed at them.

"Fufufu… that kid is always surprising me!"

* Kuroi Hogou: (黒縫合) Black Suture

** Bankin: (卍禁) Great Seal

*** Shiryuu: (止繃) Halting Wrap

**** Hyakurensan: (百連閂) Hundred Serial Bolts

***** Bankin Taihou: (卍禁太封) Final Seal Great Mount

****** Kin: (禁) Seal

######

"Ready?" Dena asked the two girls in front of her.

"Nai, Almudena!" Katrina agreed. Like most of the Gottenheit, the Grecian chick liked to say simple words in her primary language.

"I hate my full name, call me Dena!" She snapped. "What about you, Nanami?"

"Hai, Capello-sama." The Japanese Fullbring said, ignoring Dena's complaint.

"Fine, lets go." Dena said, and reached out her hand.

With a few exceptions, all things in the world of the living have a Reishi counterpart, called a "soul" by some. The exceptions are rogue Reishi in the atmosphere, and the far more rare "dead particles". Dead particles are Kishi that have no Reishi counterpart. But they are rare.

The ability of the Fullbringer is to create a sympathetic link between their own soul and that Reishi, and to manipulate it. By doing so, they also manipulated the Kishi, as what happens to one, happens to the other.

Concentrating, she reached past the simple Reishi of the atoms that make up the air, and found the deeper truth of reality. The "Reishi" counterpart of the fabric of the universe.

The very Soul of the World of the Living.

Taking a deep breath, she tore a hole in it, and stepped through.

######

After putting a still unconscious Halibel in her room to recover from her ordeal, Urahara pulled out a Soulphone and pressed the first speed-dial.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-kun!"

"That's Hitsugaya-Taichou to you, ex-Taichou." The flat, deep voice on the other side said harshly.

"Hai, hai. Anyways, we found Ichigo." He said.

"Huh? How did it go?"

"Well, the Hirameki Hogyoku worked wonders. But it was as you feared, Ichigo makes everything more difficult then it needs to be."

"So, plan B, then?" Hitsugaya said, sighing.

"Yup!"

"How troublesome. I'll need to tell the Sou-Taichou*."

"Could you do me a favor?" Urahara asked.

"Huh?"

"Could you collect the people in the world of the living? I won't be able to return just yet."

* Sou-Taichou: (総隊長) Captain-General

**(A/U) – Well, that took a heck of a lot longer then I thought it would. Writers block really sucks. I hope you like the footnotes I gave you, cause I wasted a little over an hour doing them. If writers block strikes again, I may do a fun Crossover I thought of as a way to get my brain working. If it works out at all, I might post that as well. Won't be as planned out as this one is.**

**Please, Read & Review!**


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